Refugium LED Lighting 7/17/10
Hey Crew,
<Dan>
I was looking into refitting my refugium with LED lights and was somewhat surprised to the lack of real options. I stumbled across this pretty good CF alternative and am wondering if you guys know anything about doing something similar using LEDs?
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=PAR38+Reflector+16+Watt+/+5100K
<Sure, plenty of options out there for DIY'ers. Take a look here for starters.
http://www.peaktopeakled.com/oem-led/components/p-l-nhb105nwc0n-crcsb.html
These LED's are very reasonably priced but will require a DC power supply to provide necessary voltage and current.
Radio Shack would be a good place to find these devices. Also try Googling LED components.
James (Salty Dog)>

LED vs. Metal Halide Lighting/Reef Lighting   6/13/10
I couldn't find anything specific in your articles comparing these two light sources, and I'm looking to go LED.
<Because this innovative lighting is rather new, we do not have much information on this.>
Right now I am running a Hamilton 2x175 MH 10,000k / 2x110 VHO actinic over my 125 gal. with success, but would like to cut my power usage. I read in one place that LED has about the same lumens to watt ratio (about 90-93) with greater useful light energy, but cannot find more sources to verify.
<There are many systems out there ranging from simple LED strip lights to full blown modular systems capable of duplicating the light intensity of 400 watt MH systems.>
Can you guys help me? If LEDs are a practical alternative, what wattage should I have to replace my Hamilton?
<I wouldn't say that are a practical alternative at this point, as an LED system that would duplicate your MH system is rather pricey, but over time, the savings realized both in lamp replacement and power usage may well
justify their cost. I strongly believe that in the near future, prices will drop considerably on these systems.>
Also, my tank is 24" deep, so are LEDs going to penetrate deep enough to grow my corals? I have a large mix of soft corals, clams, polyps etc and would not like to harm them by cheaping out on elec. usage.
<AquaIllumination produces a modular system that would duplicate what you presently have in intensity/useful light. One 12" module consists of 24 LED lights and will draw about 75 watts from your wall. When you compare this to a 250 watt double ended HQI lamp, the light intensity is amazingly close, but the bad news is the 250 watt DE lamp, once warmed up, draws about 280 watts from your wall. Have a look here at pricing and detailed information.
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PA&Category_Code=AquaIllumination
Also read Dr. Sanjay Joshi's test review of this system and several others.
As you will see, the AquaIllumination system has by far the highest light output in terms of intensity.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/5/aafeature2>
Thanks!
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>

FYI LED Lighting for a 24" Deep Tank   6/14/10
Hi Bob, Hope you weren't part of a "hung jury".
<Not yet, but got to go back tomorrow... Thanks James. B>
Just thought I'd pass this information on to you and the crew. See below.
James (Salty)
Re: LED Lighting for a 24" Deep Tank
Hi James,
Right now the only fixture that is capable of producing enough par that deep into the tank to support clams are the Aqua Illumination fixtures. However, that's a might pricey option to do so. Other than that, there really isn't anything that can reach that deep to support what he is wanting to do.
Jeremy Brower
Premium Aquatics, Inc.
www.premiumaquatics.com
6050 E. Hanna Ave. #4
Indianapolis, IN 46203
317-895-9005
317-895-9395 fax

Solid state lighting experiences? Question?  – 06/10/10
Dear Crew,
<Carolyn>
Just wondering if any of you have experience of growing SPS corals under solid state LED lighting?
<None personally, but have studied, seen enough to make a resp.>
I currently have two T5 tubes (25W, one marine white one marine blue/actinic) and an array of four reef white LED Aquarays (containing both white and blue diodes) over my 66 US gallon (248l) tank. Currently the tank contains soft corals such as a large Sarcophyton near the top and numerous Zoanthid colonies lower down in the tank, all of which are doing very well, however the time has come to give in to my desire to attempt SPS corals (again - first attempt not successful and deemed that I was too inexperienced so concentrated on soft corals etc first).
<A good process, order>
Am aware of the intense lighting many of these creature require so want to make absolutely sure they receive the correct illumination to thrive and look their best BEFORE getting them - my planned stock (i.e. wish list) are: Acropora species, plating Montipora, Seriatopora, Pocillopora and (if I'm very lucky) one of the smaller clam species. Am happy with the flow they need and the high level of purity water-wise, however am struggling with the lighting issue given that I'm using a newer light system.
Many thanks once again for taking the time to read my ramblings,
Carolyn
<Mmm, do you have a specific question? If not, please peruse here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marsetupindex2.htm
the last two trays... I would become familiar w/ the term PAR values, and seek to provide a minimum value of "100" PAR at whatever depths you intend to situate all this life... and go with one of the two easier Tridacnid species... Bob Fenner>
Dear Bob,
<Car>
Many thanks for replying, my curiosity is to whether corals with high intensity light requirements such as the bushy Acroporas (specifically Acropora kirstyae) would not just survive but thrive under LED lighting?
<They can indeed... I have observed them in several hobbyist and commercial settings doing so>
I'm aware that my current lighting wouldn't be sufficient for such creatures, however am torn between increasing the number of LEDs over the tank (cheaper in the long run in terms of electricity usage, but not certain if the corals would be at their most colourful/good rates of growth) or opting for a (more traditional) set up using metal halide
lighting (expensive to run, but if correct lamps used for Kelvin/PAR ratings then excellent and proven results). Given that my tank is 101 cm long, 41cm wide and 61cm deep I'm currently favouring a rig using two 150W halides plus two T5 actinic lamps plus blue LEDs to give a moonlight effect to the tank.
<Mmm, the "moonlight" is for your appreciation... Sufficient wavelengths/band-width of such "blue" spectra are provided (though masked in appearance) by your "white" lighting for functions' sakes>
You really must be sick of all the lighting questions you receive (!),
<Heeee! Not yet... the field is, uh... (groan!) very illuminating... and much in flux (Sorry, can't help m'self this AM)>
all I can say is that the WWM site has been absolutely invaluable to me and I'm continuing to learn more and more everyday, and in so doing finding out that I actually know very little indeed!
Many thanks,
Carolyn
<It's an investment... and only time and your perception, judge can and will tell in time whether this or t'other (MH) was "the" route to go. I do think/believe that w/in a few years, LED lighting will greatly improve in ap.s in our interest and the cost per unit decline abruptly and greatly.
Cheers, BobF>

Re: solid state lighting experiences? LED choices 6/10/2010
Dear Bob,
<Big C>
Thanks for the info (have to admit to having a chuckle at the jokes too) - think I'll probably go with halides for now and wait for the LED technology to move on a little more before fully committing to it in the future
<I do believe I'd go this route at this time as well... considering your system shape, desires...>
- out of interest, what LED arrays were in use in the successful reef tanks you've witnessed previously?
<The "oldest" is an Ecoxotic system from 2007, but there are several... esp. seeing what's on offer a couple weeks back at Interzoo (a biannual tradeshow in Germany)>
Interested as mine are Aquarays from the UK company TMC,
<Ah yes... am familiar, friends with a few of the older timers there... Saw them also at IZOO>
however am aware that these are by no means the only LEDs out there (and, frankly, if I CAN find a good LED alternative to halides in the present I'd happily jump on board!).
Carolyn
<Time will tell my friend. BobF>
re: solid state lighting experiences? 6/10/2010
Thanks Bob, good to know about the future possibilities showcased in Germany
- hope you have a great day,
Carolyn
<Thank you dear; you as well. B>

Interested in a link back from wetwebmedia.com, LED manuf., UK   4/19/10
Hi!
I'm Amy Fox, webmaster and marketing consultant, and I'd like to know if you're interested in a link exchange( wetwebmedia.com ). I own a website with good traffic and content related to led lighting. If we trade links, we could both improve our rankings on Google, Yahoo, etc.
If you are interested, please use the following details for my link:
Link title: Led lighting linked to my URL:
http://www.coolstrip.co.uk/
After you post my link, please let me know immediately so I can do the same. Don't forget to send me your site details ( title and URL ). I could give you back a link from this website:
http://www.daysinnmackinac.com/
Thanks for your time!
Best regards;
Amy Fox 
Hi Amy, do you/Spimin have fixtures specifically for ornamental aquatics?
Bob Fenner
Re: Interested in a link back from wetwebmedia.com 4/21/10
Hi!
No, I am not. Well, let me know if you want to Exchange links that will be excellent for both. At this moment, we just Exchange index so let me know if you add my link here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/
To add Your link here: http://www.daysinnmackinac.com/
My link:
Link title: Led lighting linked to my URL: http://www.coolstrip.co.uk/
Regards
Amy
Ah, I see... well, I placed your email msg. on our gen. LED FAQs page, and will put this there as well. Do send along a note if you begin producing lights for aquariums. BobF

Re: Interested in a link back from wetwebmedia.com – 04/22/10
Hi Bob!
<Amy>
Thank you for the link, could you tell me the exact URl where is my link up?
<http://wetwebmedia.com/ledltgfaqs.htm>
Thank you. About the aquariums accessories, I will talk with the sales manager.
Regards
Amy
<Will be a very good market... for folks who get in on the "ground floor".
Cheers, BobF>
Re: Interested in a link back from wetwebmedia.com
HI!
Thank you but could you move my link here please
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlinks.htm and I need that my
Link title: Led lighting linked to my URL: http://www.coolstrip.co.uk/
Otherwise won´t Work for me.
Thank you very much.
Amy
<No. I/we only post such links to companies with aquarium-specific offerings. RMF>
Re: Interested in a link back from wetwebmedia.com
Hi
I see. Unfortunately, http://wetwebmedia.com/ledltgfaqs.htm has not cache and my link is not good as I requested.
Thank you anyway and my apologies for Your time.
Amy
<B>

Ecoxotic LED Lighting Fixture   4/13/10
Bob,
Recently we had a query regarding the Ecoxotic LED Lighting Fixture. I got some information on these fixtures from Jeremy @ Premium Aquatics who has these in stock. Still a little pricey at 759.00 for the 23.5" fixture.
Thought you might want to post in the dailies. See below.
<Thank you James. Will do. B>
Hi James,
These have been tested as deep as 30". That testing has yielded great coloration all the way to about 22" with Acropora, although slower growth rates. 18" and more shallow would give equivalent coloration and growth to
a lower par 250w lamp.
The 23.5" Panorama runs at a very low 73w total power consumption..... pretty awesome! :)
Thanks,
Jeremy Brower
Premium Aquatics, Inc.
www.premiumaquatics.com

Addition Of LED Lighting and Adding 10,000k PC/Reef Lighting/Acanthastrea 4/6/10
Hi guys,
<Hello Jason>
I am thinking of doing a retrofit on my Oceanic Biocube (29 gallon). My questions are:
1. What do you think of Panorama LED Retrofit Module (believe the maker is Exotic)?
<I have no experience with the new LED systems although I am hearing good reports regarding their use.
Would be best to post this question on one of the BB's where you will get input from actual users.>
I am looking to add 2x453/nm on each side of the PC fixture.
2. Doing this, I would like to take out the actinic PC and replace it with another 10,000k PC. I read quite a bit about the hobby, but one thing that always confuses me is the lighting. I don't want to torch my coral. Is this too much having two 10,000k PC's??
<Absolutely not. Most Acanthastrea are tolerant of diverse conditions and can thrive in strong or subdued lighting.
Be forewarned that they are voracious predators with strong nocturnal feeding responses and must not be placed near other sessile animals.>
3. I would like to start adding Acan's to the tank. Right now I only have soft corals (Leather, zoo's). I keep reading that they require only moderate lighting. With the lighting I described above, would you feel (only asking your opinion of course) that I would be able to sustain them in a 20" deep tank (I want to have the Acan's on the sand bed).
<You should be fine here with this type of coral.>
I apologize ahead of time if I could find these answers somewhere on your site.
<Mmm, they are Mussids and can be found here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mussidae.htm
You may want to read here as well.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-08/ebac/index.php>
I did look through your lighting section, but in addition I have also read some books that somewhat put more emphasis on actinic lights than on the 10,000k's. Some also shun LED lighting while others love it. So I just felt I would save time and ask you straight.
<Do read the links.>
Thank you for any help you can offer on this matter.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Jason

LED lighting - 03/30/10
Hi all,
<Hello Gary.>
Thank you for your work and time. My wife calls your sight "fishy porn" as I spend much time on it!
<Been there too!>
Question: The more I read about LED's the more conflicted opinions I get.
I REALLY want to replace my 2 400w halides with comparable LED's. I'm sure the reasons are obvious...power bill, cost of lamps, heat, eliminate my chiller etc... Is there a system / fixture out there "you all" would recommend?
<The LED market is constantly changing with far better and inexpensive products coming out all the time. I doubt there are many out there with extensive experience with all the products out there. I can say I personally have some experience with the Aqua Illumination fixtures and ReefBrite LED strips. Both seem like sound products. I do also know that there are some fixtures with great potential hitting the market soon. Much more can be gathered by talking with those that have used some of the fixtures in the online forums.>
150 gal mixed reef - 4 yrs old
Many sps/lps
Carpet and Bubble anemone's
Lavender Tang
Bicolor Angel (trying to catch and give back to lfs)
2 False Perc
1 Clarkii
1 Fox Face
1 Mandarin
Your comments greatly appreciated
Gary
<Welcome, Scott V.>

DIY LED bulb selection for SPS 2/1/2010
I'm building a 18" cube reef system and want to grow SPS with a DIY LED lighting system. I know that the beam angle and luminous intensity (mcd) determine the lumenous flux (I.e., lumens). There are plenty of LED calculators out there to help me with that calculation. I see on several websites that photosynthesis occurs primarily in the 400-550nm and 620-700nm ranges, so I'm guessing LEDs somewhere in those ranges would be necessary. Can you give me your recommendations on the specific LED wavelengths and recommended minimum and maximum lumen range for each wavelength for best SPS growth?
<Unfortunately I cannot, however, a Google search using the string" <LEDs coral photosynthesis> yields a good deal of useful information. Please do report back on your findings, results. Bob Fenner>

LED Moon lighting 12/16/09
Hello WWM team,
<Hello Dave>
as I am very very new to salt water aquariums I am interested in your thoughts and comments on the idea of LED blue moon lightings.
<Purely aesthectical, of no use for plant/coral growth.>
Thanks
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Dave Woo

Re: Stocking Levels and a few newbie questions. – 11/03/09
Hey Josh, and thanks for the fast reply!
I've cut out some of the things in this reply to shorten it a smidge.
<Hello again Jeff.>
I was thinking a mix of lighting would provide the best results, but the PC's are planned to go over the 'fuge (on an opposite light cycle from the main tank) and over the main tank for both actinic to make the Zoas pop, and they seem a good compromise to me of light versus power consumption and heat generation.
<Excellent, over the refugium makes a bunch of sense, I thought you were discussing placing all three types of lighting over the display... wouldn't be a bad thing just unnecessary.>
The metal halides were planned as part of a dual light fixture that I would use the power compacts, but turn the metal halides on for fairly short periods during the day. (A few hours). I figure in a couple of years if all goes well, I may want to move into some more difficult to keep corals, and I would rather have the lights there and not need them then repurchase them a bit down the road.
<Excellent, very good move.>
The LED lighting still seems to be what I call an "early adopter" solution...I would do the whole thing with led's if I could find some solid reviews on a fixture, but the led market seems to be evolving pretty fast right now. The idea of punting the metal halide makes me smile; the tank is that much closer then.
<It does look like LEDs will be the way to go, but I don't think we are quite there yet, there are great advances being made though. So I think the Halides would be a better option at this point.>
Scratch one calcium reactor, and replace with dosing as needed. Check.
<I think you will be happy with that decision considering the corals you are planning to keep.>
Check. Freshwater planted tanks mean that I am used to green tanks, and I don't mind them. I know if I put things in slowly, it will balance out all the better, so they will go in slowly in small groups at a time.
Will do, and thanks again! I'll rip into my plan book now and start a firm stocking list.
<Excellent, you seem to be on the right track.>
Jeff
<Good luck, Josh Solomon.>

Your Aquaray LED Aquarium Lights ... WOW !! 10/19/09
<Hello Rich>
First a little history. I purchased a Coralife Lunar Aqualight.
Drsfostersmith.com seems to be pushing compact fluorescent fixtures. Their only full LED fixture costs 900 USD---good lord (!) ---so compact fluorescent seemed like the best thing going. At a moderate price range (153 USD on sale).
But the Aqualight was a disappointment. The unit is heavy duty. Which is nice. But it's so wide. My hinged glass cover wouldn't stay open.
Without pulling it way up front. Each & every time I feed my fish.
But my two BIGGEST complaints were:
1) The fan they use is quiet enough. EXCEPT when inserted into the fixture housing. Where it rattles. Or for some other reason generates a fairly loud buzzing/ringing noise. It's quite aggravating. With our tank being in the TV room. I noticed the noise is loud enough to drown out the filter & air pump noise. And that's saying something. No thanks.
Why in the world wouldn't they engineer it better. Considering the product is used in people's homes. Not out in the yard. If they can make the cooling fan in a desktop computer practically silent. Why not a fan in an aquarium light?
2) My other complaint is light spillage. The Aqualight sits high above the glass canopy. Spilling light out in all directions. A LOT of light.
Enough to illuminate the room. Vs. directing most/all of the light down into the tank. Spotlighting/highlighting the tank. Like my cheap fluorescent strip light does remarkable well. Vs. the Aqualight is more like a bull in a china shop.
The Aqualight ought to drop down side cowls. Low enough to block the light from scattering wall to wall. In my particular case. While sitting on the sofa. The fluorescent bulb peeks out (between the bottom of the fixture & top of the tank). Enough to blind you watching TV.
I know they're elevating the fixture because of the heat. But it's badly designed. They should offer drop down side cowls. Or if that won't work.
Make the fixture higher. So the bulbs can be positioned farther up inside.
And change the shape of the reflector. To, in effect, create light-tunneling "cowls". Coming down all four sides. To direct most if not all the light straight downward.
Again, the cheap florescent light strip that came with my tank. Spills almost no light out the sides. Which makes a lit tank. In a darkened room. Stand out fabulously. It's impressive. If not stunning when you walk into the room. Needless to say, my Aqualight is on the way back to DrFoster&Smith.
Sniffed around the web, I noticed your Aquaray product. Maybe the technology isn't 100% perfected yet. But it seems to go a long way towards alleviating the problems ID'd above. Not to mention it's greener. Vs. running bulbs that produce so much heat. You also need to run cooling fans. And/or chillers you might not otherwise need. What's good for the planet---I like!
I can't wait to try it. Hopefully your lighting strips can lie on top of the canopy. Or very close. So they don't spill light out the sides.
And/or reflect light upwards off the glass canopy. To "waste" less light.
And to avoid highlighting the (inevitably) dirty/dusty tank canopy. Like the Coralife fixture (unfortunately) did so darn effectively. Without a doubt. The less light leakage the better.
If your fixture also needs to be raised up off the tank top (any significant distance). Hopefully you've positioned the LED's far enough up in the housing. So they direct light downwards only. Vs. all over the room. From what I read. It sounds like it does. Great!
Re your new Aquaray "Control". It sounds nice. Hopefully it'll gradually "blend" one light setting into the next. Dimming one source in. As the other is being dimmed out. Over time. Vs. making instantaneous changes.
Like we get with fluorescents run by timers. I.e. lunar to actinic to daylight. Wham - wham - wham.
I don't see much info available yet. But if your "control" is capable of gradually replicating sunrise to daylight to sunset to moonlight lighting scenarios. It'll be wonderful. Hopefully allowing us to adjust the duration of each phase. Perhaps the intensity too. Eventually even lamp color/temp.
I'd offer a series of pre-programmed (default) lighting scenarios. Perhaps downloadable. Or we'd purchase cards/modules. Why not?
I.e. in an online demo. The consumer would select from a variety of sample tanks. Fish-only freshwater, planted freshwater, marine, reef, etc.
Choosing the one that looks most like their own. Then they'd watch actual lighting demos on screen. Picking the one they like best. Which they'd select & download The next step would be keying in start/stop times (for each lighting phase), duration & intensity. Eventually allowing the consumer to alter color temp and "blending time" (e.g. going from daylight to evening). The last step would be saving to a removable card. To be plugged into the light fixture. Reinitializing by simply disconnecting/re-connecting the power cord.
The advantage being. Keeping fixture electronics as simple as possible.
To keep its cost (and repair cost) down. In case it's dropped. Or dropped into the water!! Why not have consumers make adjustments on their personal computer. "Saving" that to an inexpensive card (like used in digital cameras). Then, plugging it into the light fixture. Slipping a moisture proof cover over top.
You'd only need relatively simplistic "card reading" circuitry in the fixture. Including a clock of course. And rather than bothering with batteries(!!). I'd utilize circuitry capable of pulling the correct time off the power grid. Like my "Emerson Research SmartSet" clock radio (model CKS3516) does. I never have to reset the time after power outages. When the power comes back on. The clock automatically resets itself. To the exact right time. Why waste $$ on batteries (that go dead when you least expect it)!
I got this idea from a Sound Oasis sound machine I bought. It comes with little cards programmed with multiple sounds. E.g. birds chirping, waterfall, rain, etc. And you go on their website to listen to other sound samples. Picking the ones you like. It's a GREAT way to market a product.
You know what you're buying. Before it arrives on your doorstep.
But for now. Why not put together a series of videos like in here. I don't know if this product is great. But these informational/educational videos are great.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?category=24_Inch_2x65_Watt_Aquat
icLife_PowerCompact_CF_Light_Fixture_w_2_Lunar_LEDs_24_Inch_Power_Compact_Li
ght_Fixtures&vendor=AquaticLife&idProduct=AK01049&IdCategory=FILTFIPCTF&chil
d=AK01049&tab=1&size=24%20Inch%20(2%20x%2065%20watt)
These simple vids allow the consumer to familiarize themselves & feel comfortable with the product. Before they order it through the mail. With no "touch & feel" opportunity. Whereby there is a greater chance they'll end up returning it.
If I hadn't heard about your LED fixtures. The Power Compact (in the above video) might have been my next choice. Except @ 9". It's even wider than that 7" Coralife unit. Meaning I probably would have had to remove it (from my 13" tank). Any time I wanted the hinged canopy to stay open.
Unless I'm missing something here---I don't get it. Why do manufacturers build lights so huge? When they know people need access via hinged glass canopies.
One last thought on your new "control". It would be great if it also had a "daylight on/off override" button. That would gradually (say over 2-3 minutes) transition towards/away from the daylight setting.
Example. Let's say I come home and want to show my tank off to a friend.
But it's late and the fixture is already well into its evening phase.
Hitting this button would cause the lights to reverse. Gradually throttling-up to the daylight setting. All in a couple minutes. Then, when we're done admiring my tank. I'd hit the same button again. Over a couple minutes, the lights would throttle back down to where they started from (before I came home).
That would be useful. And look awfully sophisticated/impressive. Probably an easy/inexpensive build. It's just a matter of programming.
More common scenarios would be when I get home late from work. After my tank has already darkened quite a bit. But I hadn't fed my fish yet.
Etc.
So it would be great to provide an easy way to gradually (over a few minutes) bring up the light intensity. To "daylight". Without unplugging/plugging. Or messing up prior programming. So tomorrow, everything is back to normal.
Thanks. Just some friendly thoughts. Keep up the great work! I love the innovation. Rich
<Thank you for sharing your experience/information with us Rich, but the Aquaray lighting you refer to as "ours" is not ours. We do not design, build, or sell any
products on this site. Regards, James (Salty Dog)>

Your Aquaray LED Aquarium Lights ... WOW !! 10/19/09
James ... just copied you on a reply back to this company ... before I read what you wrote below. Sorry I had your email in the list. I know what your site does. It's GREAT! Didn't mean to imply you build/sell products.
<No problem Rich. Bob may post your latest info on the dailies.>
Thanks.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Rich

Bob,
For your use/disposal.
James
Re: Your Aquaray LED aquarium lights ... WOW !!
It was so nice of you to take time to reply. In case it's helpful in any way. I inserted a few additional comments below, in BLUE. Have a great day! Can't wait to see your product in action. And your upcoming innovations!
Re: Your Aquaray LED aquarium lights ... WOW !!
Dear Mr. Hager,
Thank you very much for your email. Your comments have been noted and are much appreciated.
All of the AquaRay lighting units have been designed so that they can sit directly on a glass canopy. Due to the directional nature of LEDs, some people prefer to raise them up higher in order to get more light spread throughout the tank; however others like to use this directional property to highlight certain areas. It is really down to personal taste.
Certainly all of the light is directed into the tank with very little light spillage.
That's great! Reading web blogs, seems like people have resorted to various ways to hang/insert them into retrofitted fixtures. Why not offer (inexpensive) strip light housings. Customers could plug in/insert their chosen strip light(s) into. No need for fancy/expensive. Something like this would work fine: http://www.petco.com/product/107314/All-Glass-Aquarium-Incandescent-Strip-Light.aspx. Although a more modern/high tech shape would be even more appealing!
Such a housing would securely position the lamps on top of the tank. Plus, space them out. Not only side to side. But also front to back. In an attractive, professional looking manner. Further reducing (if not eliminating) light spillage/waste. Because the housing would sit so very close to the glass canopy. Vs. suspending it ~12" above the canopy. To achieve the necessary light spread.
I'd offer these housings in different widths. Perhaps a 2" version into which we could plug 1 light strip. A 5" version that could house 2 light strips. A 8" version that could house 3 light strips. And a 11" version that could house 4 light strips. They'd look GREAT. Plus alleviate the narrow beam (spotlighting) problem. With lamps more evenly distributed front to back.
If you go down this road. PLEASE hinge housings wider than say 5" . So we can lift the front portion. Folding it back over the rear portion. Allowing room to prop open glass canopies. So we can work in the tank. Feed our fish. Etc. Probably incorporating a refrigerator door style switch. To automatically cut out the front light strip(s). Whenever it's hinged up. Otherwise they'd beam right in your eyes.
I think this would be a GREAT way to provide thorough LED light coverage. Whilst allowing us to prop open glass canopies. Without having to remove the entire fixture. Leaving a dark tank. So we can't see what we're doing inside.
Eventually, maybe you could design a similarly hinged housing. Into which people would plug individual LED lamps. Mostly wide angle (for coverage). Perhaps a few narrow beam (with a little directional adjustment ability would be ideal). To spotlight key decorations in the tank. Perhaps along the lines of your new "tile" option: http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/aquarium/aquabeam-1000.asp Except, users could change out
individual lamps (wide angle vs. narrow beam w/ limited rotational
ability). To create the effect they want.
Another idea would be using 6 lamp strips. Vs. 5. So none is in the center. Blocked by structural braces that run front-to-back in many tanks. I imagine resulting in a (lighting) "dead spot" center tank. Which probably doesn't look so good. And wastes the center lamp.
Also, rather than aiming all lamps directly downward. Why not offset the beams a bit. Perhaps 10 degrees. So alternating lamps aim slightly frontwards then backwards. To broaden the effective beam spread. And to avoid a "line of spotlights" look. Without elevating strip lights 12" above the tank. Which doesn't look so good. Increases light leakage, etc.
FYI some of the thoughts I've read were in here:
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/blog.php?blogid=196
The controller does not bring one light up as another comes down, because the two channels are not dimmed/brightened independently. This decision was taken as it was felt that during the daylight phase all of the lights should be on, and then at night it can be set that perhaps one channel stays on at a low output (e.g. 5%), while the other turns off. This gives a very nice natural moonlight effect. I see, that sounds fine. Except what about programming the effect of clouds randomly passing in front of the sun? Just kidding!! That's going too far huh. But it would be GREAT if night-day transition incorporated a warm reddish hue. To mimic sunrise/sunset. Consumers would LOVE the realism. Maybe possible/practical when color changeable LEDs are available/inexpensive enough. This transition does take place smoothly over a user set period of time anywhere between 1 minute and 4 hours. That's perfect!
There are also two override functions on this controller – one that advances the program to the next phase (the four phases being, daylight, dim down, moonlight and brighten up), and one that switches all of the lights off (for maintenance purposes). Nice! ... but looking at the photo of the controller, I don't see an "override" button. So I'm assuming we'd have to enter "program mode" (of some sort). Why not provide a separate button labeled "override". To keep things simple. And to maximize user friendliness. Whereby successively pressing the button would cycle through: brighten-up, daylight, dim-down, moonlight, auto (cancels override), all off (for maintenance). Just stop at the setting you want.
Finally, just to check that the program is correct, the end user is able to enter a ‘demo’ mode, in which the entire program is run through in the space of 1 minute. In this case the four phases will be 15 seconds each. Perfect! Finally, to address your worries about having to reset the unit after a power outage, the time and program are stored by the unit even when the power is lost and so will still be correct when power is restored. Excellent!
At the moment we have just recently launched this simple controller, however we at Tropical Marine Centre are constantly working on the AquaRay range as well as our other ranges and there are always further developments in the pipeline. Can't wait!
Best regards,
Michael Barrett Beng (Hons.)
Lighting Consultant
Quality Control Technical Supervisor
Project Manager
Tropical Marine Centre
Solesbridge Lane
Chorleywood
Herts WD3 5SX
UK
www.tropicalmarinecentre.co.uk

LED lighting Experience   9/23/09 Hi Crew, once again I need to thank you for all your help over the past 3 years as I delved into this new hobby (passion). This is not a question, rather I thought I would pay back a bit and share my experience with LED lighting. <Thank you for sharing> I started my tank about 3 ago years now. It is a 36 gallon corner tank- mixed reef. I had started with a viper hang on MH light, but the heat and stability of the arm was a real problem. Around this time I was intrigued with the PFO LED system. I purchased a 24 inch 250 watt equivalent model and could manage to get the legs to fit the opening on my tank. I loved the light.....great color, cool, and everything seemed to thrive. After about 2 years, I noticed going over my logs that I had lost certain specimens in different areas of the tank. One spot in particular seemed to be a "no-corals land" where anything placed there would bleach in short order. Most of my corals seemed ok, but where not growing particularly quickly. In particular, my once huge colony of pumping Xenia that had started growing on the tank walls when it ran out of room on the rock, simply collapsed over a couple of weeks and disappeared about 2-3 months after starting the LED system. Of late I noticed that my beautiful Monti Cap that I had previously had to prune back from growth every few weeks, was not really growing much and worst of all was bleaching. I turned down the lights on the LED system.....no help it seemed like it was a gone-er. Well, a few days later I was scraping the glass and reached into the tank for a moment to move something and as (mis)fortune would have it, one my clowns bit me! They obviously had some eggs somewhere. Well they drew blood....I was startled....my elbow flew up....hit the PFO Solaris ....knocked it up and into the water on one end. It flooded, and shorted out, I am lucky not to have been electrocuted. Of course I was nuts with myself for having not taken it off the tank before reaching in like I normally do. And the light....after drying it, opening it up, etc....it would come on, but a few of the LED's were dead and the computer control was not working right. It would get stuck on set clock mode. It worked but had unreliable mornings where it wouldn't get out of lunar mode, or have episodes of flickering on and off, etc. <Ahh, electronics!> So time to explain to "she who must be obeyed" and off I go to get a new light. I am told that PFO is toast from a lawsuit for patent infringement..... <Yes, the co. is gone> so I am forced to go with MH again. I ended up with a Marineland MH/T5 system/lunar system. Quite nice I might add. I am running a 150 watt 20000K Aqualine AB, two stock Marineland Actinic blue T5 lamps, one Giesemann true actinic, and one 14K sunwave T5 lamp. Well to get on with it, after running the MH 150 for just one week...I noticed the Monti coloring back up! Two weeks and the purple was creeping into it like a leaf turning orange in the fall. The purple polyps where open, and now a 6 weeks later it is gorgeous purple again. Best of all, out of no-where I see a tiny little pumping xenia on a rock next to the Monti....and in the last 3 weeks, it has grown and is beginning to create a new colony. The rest of the tank is thriving.....all of a sudden I have growth again, my hot lava echino....is developing orange florescent areas. My BTA which only had about 50% bubbles is pushing 90% again, Cyphastrea is growing and going from brown to a greenish glow, and my two lowly Acroporas have open polyps again and maybe I am seeing growth? Simply amazing to see the change in just a month. I don't want to knock the LED system, I really loved that light, but now thanks to misfortune my tank is really starting to glow again. And by the way, my parameters are rock solid and no different from the LED period: with 0 Nitrates, Nitrites and Ammonia, 0 Phosphates (Merck test), about 420 on Calcium, and 11 dKH. pH about 8.0-8.2, ORP 405. I run a refugium with Chaeto, AquaC remora HOT skimmer, Ozone, and dose two-little fishes A and B via a dosing pump which also takes care of top-off RO water. I use "reef crystals" salt, and I run the temp at 80 and am using a fan to keep it cool with the MH....so far it's working. Here is a pic of the Monti about two weeks after the return of MH lighting, you can see the bleached areas but much of the color has already returned. Unfortunately I do not have a pic before the light change which really depicted heavy bleaching. Here is a second picture at 6 weeks post MH. Thanks again for all your help in the past. Cheers Carlos <And you. Bob Fenner>

LED Lighting AquaFX 9/15/09
Dear Crew,
<Vlad>
I found this LED lighting system by AquaFX, have you run across this. What do you think?
<All I know about it is that it was introduced at Interzoo some time ago, and the LED useful life is somewhere near 50,000 hours. Mmm, that's 5,000 days at a 10 hour per day cycle, a little over 13 years....very interesting.>
In Bob's articles I read that the lights should provide full spectrum CRI of 90+. This one produces full spectrum 80. Here are some of features and characteristics
Built-in sequences
* Sunset colours - very slow transition through reds and oranges, a superb start and end to each day.
* Ocean colours - gentle phase through blue and green colours, emulating light through deeper and planted waters.
* Full-spectrum rainbow - a slow sequential flow through the entire range of colours - this hi lights colours of fish, corals and plants to show them in their true beauty.
* Full-spectrum pseudo-random - Hi lights your aquarium in a subtle and random range of colours.
Colours:
* Full spectrum of 16 million colours whilst cycling.
* 8 pre-set colours: - simply change manually using the remote control.
Red, Green, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Purple.
* User-programmable-Colour. - using the remote control, increase or decrease the intensity of each colour, then save as your favourite.
* White - using patented technology with a mixture of red, green and blue LEDs plus high performance dedicated white LEDs for an intense light output.
User programmable features:
* 24 hour clock. - adjust and set using the buttons on the control unit.
* Up to 7 programmable events per day. - change the factory settings to suit your requirements.
* Favourite Colour storage - use your favourite colour in your daily programmable events.
* Internal memory power failure battery backup - in event of unplugging or power fail, the clock (not the display) continues to run for several days.
PAR (Photosynthetic available light) for plant growth is comparable with fluorescent lamps.
* PUR (Photosynthetic usable light) Plant growth is dependant on species of plant, depth and condition of water.
* By adding or removing Reds or Blues, the level of light can be adjusted to create optimum lighting conditions.
* Adjust the length of the daytime settings to optimize the light for your plant growth.
* LEDS do not create any harmful UV light.
* Heat output from the LED tubes is minimal.
* AquaFX can enhance even Metal Halide illuminated tanks and provide the sunset/sunrise features and of course night or moon mode.
* White light output has a CRI (Colour rendering index) of 80.
<I would suggest Googling and/or posting on various marine forums. May get feedback
from actual users. Do keep us informed of your findings. James (Salty Dog)>

Re LED Lighting AquaFX 9/15/09
James,
<Vlad>
I ggled around and no luck so far with any reviews. I am thinking to purchase it and give it a try. Is CRI 80 too low for the reef system?
<CRI is the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of an object faithfully.
Years ago, before the wide range of Kelvin temperature lamps were available to aquarists, we strived to obtain lamps with a high CRI, as those lamps would most duplicate the suns light at high noon (5500K). Lamps available to aquarists now are manufactured with Kelvin temperatures that would not render a high CRI. Reefers generally use lamps with Kelvin temperatures ranging from 10-20K. These lamps are desirable for photosynthetic animals, but would not render a high CRI as they would not reveal the true colors of the fish/invertebrates. In that regard, a lighting system with a CRI of 80 is not necessarily undesirable. What is more important, are light intensity and Kelvin temperature. If it were me, I would
contact the manufacturer for this information. Ask for a qualitative comparison between this system and a HQI/MH, and/or a T5 system. James (Salty Dog)>

Re LED Lighting AquaFX 9/16/09
James,
<Vlad>
I sent an email to AquaFX. Waiting for response.
<Do keep me posted, am very interested in their response.
James (Salty Dog)>

Question about electricity and water, UW LEDs   5-10-09
I want to put a few LED lights inside my aquarium (underwater) and was wondering about the connections. If both of the leads (one positive, one negative) off of the LED are simply soldered to an insulated wire and the connections are bare is the electricity going to flow into the water and kill/harm my fish? If installing underwater lights do all connections need to be sealed watertight?
<Besides irritating those fish that have some degree of electric sensitivity (e.g., catfish) or using electricity directly to find their way around (e.g., Mormyrids) it was at one time suspected that stray electrical
voltage led to problems such as Hole-in-the-Head. Whilst I'm not sure that's accepted anymore, the wisdom of having a live wire, even at a low voltage, exposed to the water is questionable. You can buy ready made submersible lights, and if you were to DIY some yourself -- something I think WWM would have to recommend against, given the legal implications of you electrocuting yourself! -- it would surely make more sense to insulate everything using aquarium silicone or similar.>
My plan is to have concealed LED lights in some sort of plant or other decoration and have a bunch of fiber-optics sprouting out so it looks like "glowing underwater plants"
<Do look at the safe, commercial products such as "Hydor Aqua Color Aquarium".>
Thank You,
Nick
<Cheers, Neale.>

Sunbright LED hood New LED Lighting System. 4/30/2009
Hello Crew,
<Hi Alan>
Have any of you seen this yet? They are new to the market this week, and my buddy happened to pick one up at his LFS. He loves it! 35 watts, no heat, no ballast, no timer strips. Sunrise to sunset light cycles plus moons.
<Neat!>
http://www.reefbuilders.com/2009/04/14/sunbrite-lighting-system-rethinking-implement-aquarium-leds/#more-6339
thanks,
<Thanks for sharing>
Alan
<Mike>

Lighting query (again) - LED's and colour temps 4/19/09
G'day crew
<Hello Leon.>
Hope today finds you well. As always thanks for a fantastic service, and thanks in advance for whoever is on duty today for the advice...once again on my "favourite" topic: lighting.
<Today was fine, Scott V. with you tonight.>
First question is regarding colour temperatures (K), and is this: "If colour temperature is based on changes in colour when heating a black body radiator to a specific temperature, why do some bulbs (often from reputable manufacturers) which have the same colour temperature rating give off a visibly different light colour?"
<Simple, they are not accurately rated.>
A good example here is 10k tubes...just about every brand has their version. But if we take a couple of high-end 10k lamps - say an Arcadia original tropical lamp and an Aqua Medic Ocean White - we see a marked difference. The Arcadia has a slight pinkish/purple look to it, whereas the Ocean White is a very crisp, bright white. Then compare these with a more mid-range product such as Catalina PC's and you'll find that the Catalina 10k's appear slightly more yellowish.
<Agreed.>
To take this one step further I'll use another mid-range bulb, the Hagen Power Glo, as an example. It has a K rating of 18k, but has a visible pinkish colour to the light...not at all the very blue light that you would
expect from a bulb of this temperature.
<Yep.>
Is this all to do with the human eye's sensitivity to various spectra, or is it creativity from the manufacturers' marketing departments, or is there some other standard or factor that I'm simply not aware of (which I think
is probably the case)?
<No universal standard and lack of actual spectral testing.>
Second questions is regarding LED lighting...
There are a few, apparently good, products slowly becoming available in Australia. I have been doing a bit of reading about LED systems in general but a lot of the info I've been able to find (including some interesting commentary on WWM) is anywhere from 4-10 years old. The general message seems to say "promising technology, but expensive and still having some trouble with light quality and spectral range"
<My sentiment, I do feel it will replace all in the years to come.>
Given how quickly technology improves I'm just wondering what the current status of LED technology is? For example, has the spectral quality been able to live up to fluor/MH standards?
<Sort of, it all depends on what bulbs the LEDs are compared to...for my money not there yet.>
Do you know of any recent comparative studies?
<No.>
Also, can you point out some "reputable" products on the markets which I can do some further research on?
<PFO Solaris fixtures are the standard thus far.>
In Australia we tend to be flooded with products from the Chinese market, some of which are actually really good value-for-money, others which are just a complete waste of time. This link (
http://www.oceanus-light.com/lumenaqua36.html ) is one such product, though I'm not sure which category it fits into yet. The idea of a variable spectral range is very appealing, but I question the reliability of the
data as it all appears very market-orientated with a distinct lack of scientific info to back it up (e.g. spectral output graphs).
<Well, there are many DIYing these LED fixtures nowadays too.>
Thanks again
Leon (Brisbane)
<Welcome, Scott V.>